Sorry about the late update guys, but I think it is worth it. The next few chapters are so darn exciting that I can hardly move my fingers fast enough to type it all out. Expect pretty frequent updates for this. Please recommend this story to your friends, or to people who need a good Zutara story.

Also- I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review!

Chapter Nine

Crescendo

Aang had been gone for the entire night, and half the next day, and she could tell Lani was beginning to get upset. She waited in silence with the little girl, stroking her brown hair out of her eyes and wishing there had been a way to keep Aang from getting hurt without hurting herself in the process.

As hard as she wished for it, she knew the time had passed.

The late afternoon sun was just starting its descent in the sky when she heard a soft knock on the door, and stood up mechanically to let him in. Lani cried out his name and hugged him around his middle.

"I missed you!" she wailed, and Aang smiled gently down at her, swinging her up onto his hip and kissing her cheek brashly.

"I missed you too, Lani!" His words were true, but the tone was all wrong. He seemed to know he couldn't pretend, especially not in front of Katara, and set the girl back down. "Can you make me some dinner? I'm starving," he said, and Lani nodded, running into the kitchen.

Katara heard a crash, and was turning to the kitchen when she heard Lani's muffled voice. "I'm okay!"

She laughed softly, then turned back around, finding Aang right behind her. She tried to take a step back, but he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her into a hug. She felt him bury his face in her hair, and instinctively hugged him back.

"I'm sorry Aang," she said, and he pulled back a little, unusually somber.

"Don't be, Katara. I've had a lot of time to think, and we should talk." She nodded, her throat tight, and then went to sit on the couch, shoving her hands beneath her thighs as she did when she was nervous. The Airbender sat in the chair across from her, his eyes kind and wide. He looked as young as he always had, whereas she felt much older than she should. It was strange to think that he was a hundred years older than her.

"I went into the town square again," he started off, and smiled a strange little grin she'd never seen before. "I looked up for a little while at that huge picture of Zuko, and I just sort of sat there. He was one of the best friends I ever had, and I really did love him- but, you know, not like- never mind. Anyways," he continued with a slight blush, "I was looking up at him, thinking about you, and it all sort of clicked."

He met her eyes with his own. Her stomach dropped.

"I know why you've stayed in Caldera. Katara, I know everything. I'm just surprised I didn't notice before how much you loved Zuko." She let a little sob escape from her throat, and he rushed to her side, hugging her as a friend would, with no trace of flirtation in the way he nuzzled her ear. "It's okay. I'm sorry," he said. She couldn't answer, couldn't tell him that she was the one who needed to be sorry.

"I tried to force you to love me, didn't I?" he mused quietly. "That kiss in Ba Sing Se… you started it, but I knew there was something different. I loved you so much, but you just didn't care. I tried to make you care." He sat in silence for a bit, then leaned back from her and put his hands back in his lap, leaning on his elbows.

"I'm here for you as a friend, but I'm not going to make you fight anymore. I can't tell you that I don't love you anymore, but I'm not going to try to make you love me… like that." His voice broke, and she sighed.

"Thank you, Aang." She couldn't say anything else, because her throat closed entirely, but she threw her arms around his neck, and felt him hold onto her for a long time before she was finally able to let go. "You're my best friend," she said honestly. "I know it's not enough for you, but-"

He laughed sadly. "It will always be enough for me, Katara. I just need to get over this." She nodded, and he stood up, not facing her. "I know how important Zuko is to you still. So I'll do whatever I can to find out what happened to him."

She bit her lip, then heard Lani singing in the kitchen, something she hadn't noticed before in her misery. The child's voice was sweet and high, and her words were the archaic ones of an old Fire Nation war song.

Little flowers on the hill,
Always waving, never still,
You're the only ones to see me leaving,
So send my love to home again,
And tell them I am free of pain,
So when they see you, they are free of grieving.
Hi, ho, I'm safe and high,
In Agni's arms above the sky,
Tell them I am free of pain
So they can stop their grieving.

"Aang, I know you want to stay and help, but I need to ask you to do something." He looked at her questioningly, and she closed her eyes, steeling herself for what was going to come. "I need you to take Lani to Iroh in Ba Sing Se. She's too young to travel alone, and after what happened with Azula, I don't trust anyone to take her there other than you. Besides, you would get there faster on Appa than if she were to go by train and boat or something."

"I care about her too, but should we really send her away?"

Katara nodded. "She can't stay here, Aang. I worry about her, being here alone while you and I go save the world again. I can't do what I need to if there's a possibility it will hurt her." He studied her for a while, then nodded.

"Should I come back afterwards?" His question took her by surprise, and for a moment, the room was silent save for Lani's haunting little war song. She remembered the blood on the ground that Ju Huan left behind. She remembered the threat in Azula's gaze, and how the young woman had been mental enough to try to kill her own brother when she was only fifteen. The Blue Spirit's masked face floated in her mind's eye, and she knew what the answer had to be.

"Aang, don't come back. I'll come to you when I can, just so that you know I'm safe. But please, don't come back." She surprised herself with the intensity in her voice, but when she thought about it, it suited her. She couldn't afford to plead anymore, or to try to be the same gentle person she's been with him.

She'd changed, and she had to accept the truth of the matter. She had a duty to herself, to Zuko's memory, and she couldn't bring anyone else down with her.

"I understand," he murmured, looking determined. "When should we leave?"

"I don't know yet," she answered, "but I want to talk to Lani. Can you maybe go get her for me?" He nodded a little awkwardly, and turned. She stopped him, her hand on the crook of his elbow. Her heart felt like it was gripped in an iron hand, and the pulsing sent her head spinning.

"Thank you," she murmured, and felt him still beneath her touch.

"I love you, Katara," he reminded her tightly, and walked away without looking back.

She sat on the couch with a sigh, trying to regain control of her runaway thoughts. She couldn't let Aang stay, not when the world needed him. And as much as she wanted Lani around, she kept closing her eyes and seeing the girl's body lying on the ground, her eyes open and unseeing. Exactly the same way she'd found her mother.

She would never forgive herself if she had yet another death on her shoulders. She saw Lani come out of the kitchen, a big smile on her young face, and smiled in return. "Come here, honey," she crooned, and the girl giggled and jumped up onto her lap. Her hand immediately went to Katara's cheek, and her other arm went around her neck.

"I made breakfast all by myself," she bragged proudly, and Katara laughed, noticing a shiny little burn on her arm. "I only burned myself one time!" she said, and Katara leaned forward and kissed the mark. Her fingers twirled, and she brought a little stream to the wound, healing it and kissing her arm again.

"Lani, I'm so proud of you!" she said, and squeezed the child tight. Yue help me, she thought desperately, I can't do this. "Can we talk about something?" Don't make me give her up. "I promise, no one is in trouble." Except me. I don't think I can let her go.

Lani nodded and turned around to look at her. "Are you okay?" she asked innocently, then leaned in to whisper in her ear- "I think Aang is sad too still. He didn't even notice the hotcake I made for him had his face on it."

"Maybe because he couldn't tell who it was," Katara teased, tickling the girl until she squealed. The girl's eyes were shining, and she was looking at the waterbender with such blatant adoration that she knew she once again had to be strong enough to let someone go.

"You remember how I said that I know someone who could teach you to firebend?" Lani nodded. "Well, Iroh is willing to take you in now. Soon, I'm going to send you and Aang to Ba Sing Se, and you'll live with Iroh there."

"Ba Sing Se?" she said in a small voice, and Katara started- she'd forgotten that she'd never told Lani where Iroh lived. Of course the child would assume he lived in the Fire Nation. "You never… is it because you don't want me?" she whimpered, and Katara hugged her close, horrified that the girl thought that.

"No! Lani, I want to keep you more than I could ever tell you. But what's happening right now… it's not safe. I don't want you to get hurt, I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to you. You'll be safe with Iroh, and I'll come for you as soon as I can." She felt the child grasp her arms, keeping them wrapped together. The fire in her body was warm and powerful, even though the bearer was just a little girl she'd found in an alley.

"Why can't you come too?" she demanded, eyeing Katara as she pulled back. "Maybe Iroh would let you work in his tea shop too," she said hopefully. Katara grinned.

"I have some business to take care of first." Lani raised her eyebrow imperiously, reminding her very much of a certain prince she used to know.

"Well hurry up so that you can come back to me, okay?" She swallowed back her tears.

"I promise, Lani." It occurred to her too late that maybe, just maybe, she couldn't keep that promise. She might be dead before this was all over. She'd seen others die for this secret; what made her any different?

The girl looked at her with age in her eyes. "You helped me and no one else ever did that. I don't remember my first mama, so that means I think you're my mama." Katara couldn't help it, she broke down, wrapped her arms around the girl and began to cry.

"You're like my daughter, Lani. I really do love you." How could she not? She felt the girl's forgiving hands stroking her hair comfortingly, and her new daughter waited for her crying to subside before she hopped off her lap with a shy little smile.

"Love you too Mama. I'm gonna go to work now okay?"

Katara nodded. "Make sure you come back before the sun goes down, I told Kyoti not to keep you after dark." Lani left the house a few minutes later, and she went to see Aang in the kitchen. He was staring despondently at the rough table, his fingers twitching and making the syrup on his breakfast-for-dinner hotcakes rise up and make shapes in the air.

"Aang?" He turned and looked at her, and she motioned unnecessarily towards the front door. "I'm going out. If anyone comes looking for the Painted Lady, tell them to come back tomorrow night at the same time."

"Okay," he said, then brightened up. "Can I wear a disguise too?" He stood up on his chair, pulled his shirt over his head and brought it up over his nose, showing only merry, grey eyes. "I vill be ze Night Spirit! Vith eyes as bright as ze stars!"

She laughed and sent a blast of water at him, effectively knocking him off the chair. He rebounded sideways off a wall, grabbing his chest dramatically. "Ay! You 'ave ruined me, you sneaky little vaterbender!" He toppled over, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. She poked him in the stomach with her foot, where she knew he was ticklish, then watched as he jumped back onto his feet, aided by the graceful air he controlled.

For a second, they forgot everything else between them but friendship, and she felt lighter than she had in ages. The next, they were back to the current situation, and she had the pleasure of watching the past fade slowly and reluctantly from his face.

"I'll watch the house. Come home safe though, okay?" he requested, and she nodded, pulling the hood of her cloak up as she left the apartment. She closed the door behind her, felt him click the locks into place, then raised her eyes to the sky. The moon was full tonight, and the starts shone dimly beside it as if frightened by its engorged presence.

The streets were cool beneath her feet, and the air went silently past her. She needed to think, she knew that if she didn't find answers soon, she'd break down. But at the same time, all she could think about was the lunar power in her veins, and how she'd like to use it. She became a different person as she walked, leaving behind the inhibitions and concerns of being a healer and a friend. Morphing into a power of the night, and the scent was intoxicating.

She didn't think that she'd have a shadow, considering it was so dark outside- but then she realized the figure was moving without her, and she gasped, falling back into the role of the hunted when she recognized who it was.

The Blue Spirit looked at her, silent as ever, but infinitely more dangerous than she'd ever suspected. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, stepping to the right and noticing how he mirrored her movements. Too late to pretend to be my shadow, she thought savagely, and drew a lethal amount of water from the air, from the little cracks in the sidewalk where moisture dwelled. She could feel every single source of liquid around them, due to her adrenaline and the full moon, and she refused to let the sensation go.

"Have you come to spy on me again? Send all your information back to Azula and tell her what a naughty little Fire Nation citizen I've been?" He didn't answer. She knew he never would, and she hated him even more for that, even more than for wanting to trust him and the undeniable attraction she felt for him.

She stepped closer to him, her movements jagged as shattered glass. "Or maybe you've come to kill me, like you killed Ju Huan and all the others? I know that you're the one who did it. You're the only one who could have." Venom dripped from her lips as the words forced themselves from her throat and into the air.

The demon stepped back, and she stepped forward, then changed her mind about keeping her distance and walked straight up to him, shoving him as hard as she could. He stumbled, but didn't fall. "You killed them! You took away every hint I could have ever found, every clue that led me to what I need to know! I'll never find out what happened now, and it's all your fault!" Her last words had risen to a scream, but that didn't stop her. She went to shove him again, made sure that the water behind him had frozen right behind his feet. This time, he did fall- with a heavy thud, he hit the ground, and she pounced on top of him, her eyes blazing with fury as she leaned down until her mouth was only a few inches from where the demon's ear should have been.

"It's your fault that I will never find out what happened to Zuko, or why. But you don't care, right? Because you're nothing but a ghost with no feelings and no heart. Something like you could never feel the agony I feel, or know what it's like to love someone so deeply that it kills you when they're gone."

She was suddenly disgusted by their close proximity, and what it was doing to her. She stood up, ready to go back into her apartment and forget the encounter had even happened, but she never even made it two steps.

Before she even realized what had happened, arms cast in black encircled her from behind, pressing right up against her ribcage, and she felt a weight on her shoulder. He was holding her tightly from behind, leaning his head on her shoulder, and she couldn't breathe.

He was so close, too close- but she didn't want him to move away. Wait- she did. He was a murderer. He was the reason she couldn't unfold the mystery. He was a bad boy, just like Jet had been before his death, and she reasoned with herself- that's the only reason you feel attracted to him. Because he's a bad boy. Just like Jet.

Another voice piped up in her head, telling her that Jet had turned out good in the end, but she dismissed it, and instead forced herself back into the present.

The Blue Spirit was withdrawing his arms from around her waist, bringing his hands up to her arms and gently turning around. She was planning to spit in his face before she realized that it wouldn't do any good, since he was behind a mask. His gloved hand drifted down to her own, and he tugged it insistently. She followed him instinctively, and traced his broad back with her eyes as he led her down into a dark alley, far from the light. The only sense she could use was touch, his hand on hers, the cool night air wafting against her skin, the bright moon not sending any light to her but instead sending power. Everything else was black, odorless, nothing, and the Blue Spirit was the only thing that kept her grounded in the real world instead of letting her mind wander into the darkest possibilities she could think of.

Maybe I can trust him. The thought was no more than a whisper in her head, but it was enough. She felt her body relax, and let a little smile grace her face. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't have any proof that he's a bad guy. Maybe-

Something caught her legs, and the Blue Spirit's hand disappeared from her own. Then, fabric covered her eyes and knotted around her head. She shrieked, lifted her arms to get it off and to bend, and felt steel fingers locking over her wrists. She kicked out her legs as she felt herself being lifted up, and suddenly another limb was holding her feet together as well.

The Blue Spirit hauled her over both shoulders like a yoke, keeping his hands over her legs and wrists as she shrieked and bucked. "No!" she shouted, "I thought I could trust you! You bastard!" He wasn't affected by her voice. She could tell he was running, but had no clue how he could see where he was going. The world was nothing but darkness, cloying and dangerous. Then she realized that he'd blindfolded her with black fabric, or something like it- she was effectively stuck.

One short moment of weakness was all it had taken. She knew he was going to take her to Azula, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop him. His grip was too tight, and even with the full moon on her side, she couldn't break his hold.

Lani, she thought desperately, I'm breaking my promise to Lani- and what is Aang going to do when I don't come home? She could feel the Blue Spirit's broad shoulders beneath her, reminding her slightly of Zuko's strong build, and tears came to her eyes.

I'm so sorry Zuko. I'll see you soon.

Poor Katara. Please review, tell me what you think. Sorry about the late update!